It's Not What it Seems
by lilmoosic011
Summary: A slight twist on the events that transpire within the second half of the film. Enjoy!
1. A Chance Encounter

I don't own the Swan Princess. STOP TAUNTING ME.

Odette's heart raced as she flew high above the trees, trying dutifully to listen to her friend, Lieutenant Puffin, who soared along beside her.

However she found herself distracted as he rambled on about their plan and how genius it was.

As far above the treetops as they were, the air was thinner and Odette was finding it rather hard to breathe. Relying less on beating her wings, she tried to utilize some soaring to keep up her momentum. Puffin barely noticed her altitude rising and falling and continued to chatter beside the princess.

'Flying is a bit more exhausting than I thought.' Odette whispered to herself.

Peering into the clearings of the woods, an epiphany struck her.

"We'd better keep an eye out for hunters." She interjected into Puffin's wordy story.

He, himself glanced down and threw his head back with a slight chuckle.

"At ease, Odette," he quipped. "I can smell a human a mile away!"

Just then, an arrow came spiraling out of the trees and grazed Puffin's freshly healed wing, startling him.

Odette gasped, but before she could ask him if he was alright, she heard someone yelling from the woods.

"Where did that come from?" Puffin asked, frantically searching the groves below.

Odette barely heard Puffin as her ears strained to pick up any voices coming from the trees.

Then, faintly, she heard a familiar voice. _"Derek!"_

If her heart wasn't already racing, it would have burst through her chest. "Derek…he's here!" she shouted with elation.

Without hesitation, Odette made the motion to dive headlong into the trees, however found herself held back and face to face by a serious-looking Puffin.

"You will not lose control," he said, steading her face and looking her in the eye. For the first time, Puffin noticed that Odette was looking a little flush, even for a swan, and her eyes were slightly glazed over. "You will follow the plan as outlined." He tried to remind her.

However, Odette was too far gone into her hysteria as she tried to peer around the shouting little bird, hoping to catch a glimpse of her beloved prince.

"Acknowledge!" he said, pulling her head back to him.

She pulled away again to peer around him frantically. She had to see Derek. To show him what had been done to her before she lost her chance.

Puffin reached back for her head and a bit louder this time, attempted to regain the swan's attention. "Acknowledge….!" But before he knew it, she had spun past him and dove down into the trees. "Odette!"

Odette went soaring down into the trees with nary a second thought. As puffin regained his composure, he immediately pursued the slightly delusional swan into the forest where certain danger surely loomed.

"That prince of her's won't think her any different from an everyday, normal swan. She's going to get herself killed." He mumbled to himself, hot on Odette's trail. But before he knew it, she had disappeared from his sight, lost among the thick trees.

Derek was already beginning to lose his patience, an unusual thing to happen while he was hunting. But this time was different. He wasn't hunting any ordinary game, he was hunting for the Great Animal; an animal that can change its shape in the blink of an eye.

Because of this, he had to be on constant alert, not for fear of losing prey, but becoming it, a notion that was very heavily weighing on his mind as he travelled further into the thicket. His instincts were screaming at him to go back and that there was danger within the forests, but his heart was urging him onward.

"Keep going…for Odette." He kept telling himself as he dodged anything that made a sound or cast a shadow.

Just as he came upon a small trench, he spotted something; a shimmering light just up ahead. Instinctively, he ducked behind a large tree trunk, taking cover. A bright light in the forest could only mean one of two things; a fire or magic and both could mean certain doom.

He peered around the trunk to try and once again catch a glimpse of what emitted the strange light. It was then that he noticed a beautiful white swan flying frantically through the trees, the sunbeams reflecting off of the beast's gossamer wings.

"A swan?" Derek whispered. Swans were very rare to be seen flying through the forest. Normally they were easily found around lakes or ponds, but not in the woods. As he studied the creature, he noticed the uncharacteristic way in which it flew. It flew with an almost manic gait, uncharacteristic of the graceful bird. Then it struck him.

"A swan…of course! It's not what it seems." What a perfect disguise for a terrifying beast of lore. No one would suspect an innocent little swan of sorcery or malevolence.

Derek nocked his arrow and lightly drew back, waiting for the opportune moment to strike.

"Just a little closer…" he whispered, drawing his bowstring taught. "Come on…come on!" he urged quietly.

As the swan came within shooting distance, he noticed it lurch with urgency toward him. Taking no chances, he lunged from his hiding place and aimed directly for the bird's heart. "This one's for Odette!" he proclaimed as he loosed the arrow, sending it spiraling toward the bird's shocked and frozen form.

Puffin searched frantically through the trees for any sign of his comrade. "Odette!"

No response. "I hope I'm not too late…" he whispered in despair. Just then, he caught sight of her, flying through a trench, the sunlight refracting off her wings. "Odette!" he shouted again, but she did not hear him.

That's when Puffin spotted him. It must have been him. Young Prince Derek hiding behind a large tree in a position to strike. Puffin redoubled his efforts and flew as fast as his little wings could carry him.

Derek lunged out from behind the tree and with a proclamation of revenge, aimed straight for her.

Puffin screamed. "Odette!" and leapt into action, diving straight into her side and knocking her out of the arrow's way…hoping he was in time as he hit the ground and rolled several yards.

Chapter 2 on the way!


	2. An Unusual Reunion

The sound that permeated the air of the forest was chilling.

As the arrow pierced the swan's right wing, it was barreled into by something, knocking it out of the air into a large patch of bushes.

Derek stood there for a few moments, confused for a number of reasons; One, why had his arrow missed the target? Two, what on earth was that streak of black that knocked the swan away? An accomplice perhaps? And three, why did that swan's cry sound so incredibly…human?

Assuming he would soon feel repercussions for wounding the animal, and with no time to waste, he sprang into action and followed the small creek that ran the trench over the patch of bushes. Catching the predator while it was still tending its wound would be the most opportune situation for delivering the final blow.

Seeing no immediate signs of danger, he approached the bushes with hesitation. Drawing another arrow from his quiver, he steadied it as he came closer. Peering into the bushes, he noticed that a small Puffin accompanied the wounded swan.

'_How unusual. Puffins aren't even from anywhere around here…'_ Derek thought, instantly on alert.

In an even stranger coincidence, the arrow had been broken in half and removed from the Swan's wing, though it still bled out considerably.

Derek, instantly suspicious that the Puffin was some sort of accomplice, took aim at the swan at an almost point-blank range. He hesitated when both birds looked up at him and did not make the motion to move. He felt remorse when he could have sworn he saw a tear escape the violet eye of the swan. The eyes that looked so much like his beloved's.

He then took to note the uncharacteristic golden mark that the swan bore on its head…almost like a… "Crown…" Derek whispered to himself.

Just then, an explosion of fantastic light came from where the bird's body had been. Derek stumbled backwards, having been practically flash banged by the sudden burst of light.

He blinked several times, trying to regain his sight. Stunned and panicked, he reached around for his bow that he had dropped, but could not find it. "Damn!" he shouted in frustration at his lack of sight.

A rustling in the bushes where the swan had been caught his attention. As the dust settled, he found his sight returning to him. He heard a hiss of human pain and slow, ragged breathing.

'_So it was a changeling.'_ Derek thought. '_This could be my last chance. Damn me for not bringing a sword as backup…' _

He pulled an arrow from his quiver and held it like a spear in a last-resort attempt to finish off the creature.

As he approached the bushes, his heart almost jumped from his chest. And then it sank to his feet.

"…Odette?"

Odette had never felt pain like this before. On top of being delirious from her lack of oxygen, she was now losing blood. '_That was so stupid of me…' _she thought as Puffin worked quickly to remove the arrow from her punctured wing, snapping it as she had done for him.

As Puffin pulled the shaft pieces out from both sides, it began to bleed even more. _'This is not good. There's no way I can fly away like this.'_

As if reading her thoughts, the helpless birds found themselves cast in Prince Derek's shadow. Odette looked up at him and instantly felt a pang of betrayal, but at the same time, elation. The prince seemed to be seizing them up, assessing their predicament.

The next thing she knew, he had another arrowhead aimed right for her, barely a few feet away.

'_No…not like this. Not you, Derek.' _She begged, knowing that once he finished her off, she would transform back into a human, and that he would never forgive himself for what he had done.

Her tears of pain replaced with tears of sorrow, she put all of her efforts into staring him down, almost willing him to recognize her in some way. She felt a glimmer of hope as he hesitated, his bowstring going slack.

Then, a miraculous thing happened. She was enveloped in a light that she had become all-too familiar with. She felt herself transforming back into her human form. There was something different about this transformation. Something she couldn't quite figure out. It felt so…final.

Opening her now human eyes, she found that she could not see. _'Am I dead?'_ she wondered.

A sharp pain in her upper arm quickly put her qualms to rest. Instinctively, she put pressure on the wound with her right hand and hissed in pain, squeezing her eyes shut once again.

Thanks to years of playing and roughhousing with the boys, she had developed a rather high pain tolerance for a woman. But this was an injury that went beyond what she was used to, and it hurt like Hell.

Thankful for her larger lung capacity in her human form, her breathing quickly calmed down, but her heartbeat continued to thrash. Derek. Where was Derek?

Blinking, she found that the dust around her had begun to settle. She saw no immediate signs of her prince. Odette tried to get up but fell back against the tree from sheer exhaustion. She leaned her head back and attempted to calm her heartbeat.

The sound of footsteps drawing close took her attention.

"…Odette?" she heard him say her name, as barely audible as it was.

Slowly, she drug her eyes open and saw him standing there; the one whom had wounded her. The one whom she loved.

He stood there in shock, an arrow poised in his hand, ready to strike like some sort of caveman with a spear. Odette chuckled under her breath. He did look silly. Through the pain, she found her voice.

"Don't you think one was enough, Derek?" she chuckled, breathy and weak.

He remained in shock, the arrow falling from his grasp, and his hand lowering to his side.

"Odette…wh…I...what…." he shook his head in confusion and disbelief.

Odette shook her head in admiration. He had never been one for words, so she spoke for him.

"Yes. It is me. I was the swan. I'm not a mirage. You aren't dreaming." Still nursing her wound, she beckoned him lightly with her weak arm, wincing in pain as she did so.

Instantly, he was on her, kneeling by her side. "Odette. It's you…you're alive!" he exclaimed, embracing her shoulders and kissing her head anywhere he could. He pulled back and gazed into her beautiful violet eyes. She looked so beautiful and so…real. "No one believed me! But I knew-"

"Well I won't be alive for long if this isn't taken care of." She interrupted, rolling her shoulder, drawing attention to the wound she had covered with her hand.

Derek's heart stopped. How could he have been so stupid? He had completely forgotten about the arrow that he had shot. Gingerly, he removed her hand from her upper arm to examine it.

His heart sank. The top of the sleeve was completely soaked with blood…Odette's blood. And he had caused this harm to her. Acting instinctively, he tore off the long sleeve of the dress, gently as to not hurt his beloved further, and removed the blood-soaked upper sleeve, using the lower to fashion a tourniquet tightly around the wound.

Sighing with relief, Odette leaned back against the tree. She lifted her right hand up to examine it and found it drenched with blood. Surprisingly, she did not find herself sickened by the sight or smell of her own blood, but she knew she had lost a lot and that she was weak because of it.

Derek finished tying off the makeshift tourniquet and took this opportunity to take her in his arms once more.

'_I did this… I shot Odette with my arrow. And now she's in danger…all because of me.' _The words raged through him like wildfire, burning his soul.

Odette returned his embrace with her good arm, trying to avoid getting any more of her blood on his clothes. She breathed him in. He smelled like the woods, campfire smoke, and something that was just so…"Derek?" Odette asked quietly as he inhaled suddenly. She tried to pull back from him, but he just pulled her back tighter. It was then that she heard him sobbing quietly.

She had never seen Derek cry before. He was always so strong and reserved...much like her own father. The only time she had ever seen her father cry was when her mother had passed away when she was just four. When she had questioned him about it afterwards, he had simply told her that it took a very hard loss for a man to cry.

Seeing Derek break down like this broke her heart. The boy she had grown up with and grown to love had become a man, and was still too young to suffer so.

"Derek? Look at me." She tried again. He hesitated, but pulled back from her, his face soaked with tears. He only now noticed how exhausted and pale she looked…but still so beautiful and still so very real.

Sensing his pain, she spoke. "Derek, it's ok. I'll be ok… and I forgive you. You didn't know it was me. You couldn't possibly have known."

He was speechless. How could she be so forgiving so fast? "But Odette…I could have-"

"But you didn't." She interrupted him. How badly she wanted to wipe his tears away, to grab his face and kiss him, but she was still covered in blood that was quickly drying. "We can talk about this later. Right now, I think I need some water. I'm feeling quite…parched." She avoided the word 'weak' for she didn't want him to know just how much pain she was in.

Thanks for reading this chapter! Reviews are my anti-drug and I need my fix please! =)


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